Smart TV and 3D sets have been pushed by the manufacturers for the last couple of years, with many manufacturers concentrating on pushing the visually impressive 3DTV aspect. But it seems the winner will be the internet connected services as 3D gets snubbed by consumers.

Is the smart TV coming of age?

Market researcher company IHS Screen Digest have released figures charting the rise of connected TV sets. During 2012 over a quarter of all sets sold (66 million) were smart TV’s, and they predict that by 2015 it will be half of all sets sold, or around 141 million. By 2016 they predict that two-thirds of television sets will be smart.

Speaking about the study, Veronica Thayer, analyst at IHS said, “Despite a decline in global television shipments in 2012, consumer demand for Internet-connected televisions soared during the year—and the surge in sales shows no signs of abating.”

Although consumers have been partly turned off by smart TV’s clumsy interface, 3DTV seems to be getting an even worse response. But whilst 3D is struggling to win over viewer support, IHS see things improving fast for the smart TV, saying, “Smart TVs are rapidly joining the mainstream as manufacturers refine their products to add new features and to make them easier to use.”